HMS Naiad (CLA-1945)

 

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HMS Naiad was a one off Anti-aircraft cruiser built utilising the new fully automatic 4"/54cal twin mounting. The ship was made big enough to mount 10 twin mountings with 300 rpg. The Naiad was 593 x66 feet in size, with an 80,000shp power plant to move the ship at 32 knots. Completed in February 1945 the Naiad was transferred to the British Pacific Fleet, where its sheer anti-aircraft firepower would be second to none. In service it was found that the barrel life was short when the new weapons were fired at fully automatic for more than 10 minutes at a time. With the advent of the Kamikaze attacks starting at dawn and continuing throughout the day, the 4" guns were being fired at a greater rate than the guns were designed for. By the end of its first month long deployment the Naiad had to be withdrawn for a set of new barrels, the ship had been firing out of smoothbores for its last few days. At 20 rounds per minute, it only took 15 minutes of continuous fire to empty the magazines. Resupply of 4" ammunition was a daily event when in contact with Japanese forces.
 

 

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